No one would turn to tobacco companies for health advice. We understand that they have an agenda that is inherently damaging for human health. So why then would Californians look to a fossil fuel company for solutions to climate change and the health and pollution impacts they themselves cause?

Those of us living in communities that continue to pay the price for the state’s dependence on fossil fuels know better than anyone who we can and cannot trust to develop good-faith solutions to climate change. High on the list of those we cannot trust is the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas).

For years, SoCalGas has worked to undermine California’s clean energy progress to keep us tied to dirty gas by fighting the zero-emission solutions we need. They fought the city of Los Angeles as it worked to adopt zero-emission buses that would clean up air pollution and fought legislation that would reduce pollution from buildings. More recently they’ve been promoting flawed studies, distributing mailers, and visiting local city councils touting distorted facts regarding the costs of electric home appliances to discourage the growing popularity of appliances powered by clean energy.

They even put together a front group called Californians for Balanced Energy Solutions, with a mission to incite fear by using misinformation to deter public support for clean, zero-emission solutions.

For decades SoCalGas has protected profits above protecting the health and well-being of Californians. So it’s no surprise that a powerpoint obtained by the LA Times shows the gas company characterizing initiatives that cut greenhouse gas emissions and clean up indoor air pollution as an “attack” on gas.

And they have a reason to be worried – experts and state agencies all agree that we cannot meet our climate goals if we continue to burn gas in our homes and buildings. That’s important to keep in mind, as they launch the next phase of their plan to stall action on zero-emission solutions – a full-scale PR campaign to brand themselves as the (oxymoron alert) “cleanest natural gas utility” in North America.

Central to their current greenwashing is a call for massive investment from the state to help replace 20 percent of their gas supply with so-called “renewable” natural gas. Much of this renewable gas is biomethane, or methane that is captured from dairies, landfills, and wastewater treatment facilities. Not only can these sources cause air and water pollution for local residents, but at best they can only supply a tiny fraction of the total gas demand in California. Getting to higher levels would require synthetically producing methane, a dangerously potent greenhouse gas, through costly, complex chemical processes – while doing nothing to reduce the pollution and health and safety risks that our communities already face from gas. In short – it’s a desperate attempt to keep us hooked on gas instead of investing in better, safer, cleaner options.

Southern California’s air is out of compliance with EPA air quality standards. We are suffering from major respiratory illness and getting diagnosed with asthma and cancer younger and younger. We face immediate danger from gas leaks and the long-term health impacts of having gas storage facilities, refineries, and major transmission lines cut through our backyards. The more we prop up gas combustion and its leaky, dangerous delivery infrastructure, the less likely we are to address the legacy pollution and safety issues that have plagued our communities.

We don’t have time for false solutions from gas companies. SoCalGas is spending millions of dollars to mask their polluting practices, but their slick PR campaign will not prevent the next explosion, leak, or fire in our communities.

California must invest in zero-emissions solutions that support the health and well-being of communities of color and low-income communities, while rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We cannot accept short-term and short-sighted alternatives that continue the cycle of polluted air, unsafe living and working conditions, and unjust health consequences.

Matt Vespa is an attorney at EarthJustice. Taylor Thomas is a research and policy analyst with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, serving Los Angeles and Long Beach.

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